This invention relates to an improved heater or stove for burning bio-mass fuel such as wood or coal. More particularly it relates to heaters or stoves employing an improved catalytic combustor system which materially increases heating efficiency by aiding in the fuel combustion, and to cause removal of dangerous and undesirable by-produces in the exhaust from the heater or stove.
Wood and coal burning heaters and stoves are not new, but recently efforts have been made to improve their efficiency and safety due to the increased demand for this type of device because of the large increases in price of other fuels such as gas and oil. One such improvement has been the incorporation of catalytic combustors in wood burning heaters and stoves. The catalytic combustor is a honeycomb type cellular structure of porous ceramic coated with a catalyst composed of noble metals. Smoke produced by the burning of the fuel passes through the catalytic combustor before entering the exhaust flue of the furnace.
The use of a catalytic combustor provides at least two advantages. Firstly, the efficiency is increased because the catalytic combustor causes heretofore unburned products of combustion to be burned. Heat produced from the burning of such unburned products of combustion provides an additional output from the stove and increases the heating efficiency. Secondly, unburned gases when cooled down in the chimney form flammable creosote deposits on the inside surface of the chimney and present a significant danger in causing chimney fires. By employing a catalytic combustor the amount of unburned gases and smoke released to the chimney associated with the heater or stove is reduced.